The One Who Leaves Few Footprints in the Snow

He splits wood,leaves few footprints in the snowtheir lives shorter than that of the smallpine tree fireabove which he warms his handsbefore dovetailingthe icon framesbefore taking back to his hut an ice cube,water he’ll use at twilightto make coffee,its black eyesole indulgence,its fragant eyesole gratification.

He leaves few footprints in the snowand they’re quickly swept away by birdsfor whom he sows wheat and crumbsunder the window where he reads the Psalms.

Translated from the Romanian by Mihaela Moscaliuc and Michael Waters

Liliana Ursu teaches at the University of Bucharest. The most recent English translation of her poetry is Goldsmith Market (Zephyr Press, 2003). Michael Waters is author of Contemporary American Poetry (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) and teaches at Salisbury University, Md. Mihaela Moscaliuc has published in Soundings, TriQuarterly and Arts & Letters.